Page 43 of A Package Deal

She fell onto the blanket giggling. My abs hurt from laughing so much. As much as I’d grieved over losing my father, this felt right. Felt like something he would have approved of. Hell, he would have loved Georgia like his own.

Georgia shrieked again and jumped to her feet. “Wa-wy! Fish!”

I put my pole down and grabbed hers, feeling that familiar tug on the line. I helped her reel it in, even as she jumped around, too excited to stay in one spot. When the little fish—all five inches of him—appeared, she cheered, letting go of the pole entirely to dance around the embankment of the pond. Holding the line, I told her to stand still so we could get a fish selfie.

“A fishelfie!” she hollered, punching her fist in the air. I took the photo right then, me grinning like a fool and her triumphant over her first catch.

We went home after that, to get ready for dinner and to show her mama what she caught. All I knew was that I would be printing out that selfie and putting it up on the mantel to join the others. Maybe the opportunity to be a father hadn’t passed me by…it just looked a little different than I envisioned it.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Emmerleigh

“What a beautiful fish!” I exclaimed, the ache in my muscles washing away entirely in Georgia’s excited presence.

Warrick put a bouquet of flowers in water and placed it on the dining room table while Georgia danced around the cooler. I kept glancing at Warrick, but he busied himself in the kitchen. He said he already defrosted one of the casseroles a neighbor had dropped by after his dad died, so it was easy to pop it in the oven and fix a salad while Georgia told me all about their fishing expedition. What I couldn’t figure out was why it had taken a man completely unrelated to us to give Georgia flowers and take her on a fishing date. Warrick, someone I’d just met a month ago, was more of a father than Cayden had ever been.

“And then the line tugged and Wa-wy helped me…” She trailed off, calling over to Warrick. “What’s it again?”

“We reeled it in.”

“Yeah! We reeled it in! And there was the fish!” Georgia pointed to the tiny fish in the cooler of ice. I wasn’t much of a fisherman, but I thought you’d normally toss something that small back in the water, but for her first catch, I was glad Warrick had come home with the evidence.

“I am so proud of you,” I murmured, kissing Georgia on the cheek and crushing her to my chest. “But you stink like worms and fish.”

Georgia giggled, not at all offended. Warrick looked over from the kitchen counter where he tossed a salad, smiling. “Looks like I have a new fishing buddy.”

My daughter beamed at him. My little girlie-girl was finding a new side of her because of Warrick. My eyes burned, watching the two of them together. The flowers, the fishing, the clear bond the two already had.

“Go wash your hands for dinner.” I helped Georgia off the chair where she’d been perched. She skipped out of the room, humming the song that was playing on the radio that Pip had left on after she finished up for the day.

I headed for the kitchen, sidling up to Warrick and laying my hand on his back. He stilled. “Thank you for taking her fishing. And the flowers.” I shook my head, determined not to cry. “I want to give her everything, but I hadn’t realized I’d dropped the ball.”

Warrick moved then, dropping the salad tongs into the bowl and pulling me into his arms. His eyes had heated but he frowned down at me. “You didn’t drop the ball, Em. You’re one person. I just wanted to give her the same experiences my dad gave us boys. Thank you for trusting her with me.” His eyes darted back and forth, clearly seeing the tears in my eyes when his face went soft. He swayed us back and forth. “How about you dance with me before dinner, wife?”

I dropped my head to his chest with a scoff, needing a second to get my shit together before I blubbered all over him for being kind to my daughter. I knew he was just trying to distract me and even that sweet gesture made my eyes sting more.

“That’s not how you dance!” came Georgia’s high-pitched voice, followed by a giggle.

I lurched backward, out of Warrick’s embrace. “Oh yeah? How do you dance, then?” My heart was pounding and my voice sounded out of breath, but then again, I’d never had my daughter catch me in a man’s embrace. I wasn’t sure how she’d handle it, but based on the way she walked right up to Warrick and held her arms in the air, I’d say she wasn’t traumatized.

“Climb on my feet, Peaches,” Warrick rumbled, not nearly as off-kilter as I was.

Georgia put one bare foot on each of his snakeskin boots and the two joined hands, dancing wildly around the kitchen while Georgia giggled her head off. The scene imprinted itself in my brain. I’d never seen anything sexier than a smiling, handsome, middle-aged man dancing around the kitchen while making my daughter smile like that. If my heart hadn’t become brittle and broken after Cayden, it would have pumped out a fast rhythm in time with their dance moves. It would have fallen for Warrick Wolfe.

Thankfully, I’d gotten good at building walls around my heart.

“Shall we eat?” I said brightly, grabbing the potholders off the counter and getting the casserole safely out of the oven.

Georgia cheered and Warrick grabbed the salad bowl, following me into the dining room. Before I claimed a seat, Warrick came up behind me and whispered in my ear. “One day you’ll trust me enough to dance right there in the kitchen too, Emmerleigh. Mark my words.”

I ignored the shiver that raced up my back or the way my cheeks heated at his promise. After last night, everything he said reminded me of the way he’d kissed me. The way his tongue and fingers had obliterated all the objections I had about getting involved with a man. The way I still craved his touch.

We all sat and ate until we were stuffed. Georgia and Warrick kept up the conversation, while I wrestled with my traitorous body. Maybe my vow to stay far, far away from men had backfired. Perhaps I’d gone about this all wrong. It was natural to crave human touch, and after over five years of literally none of it, it was perfectly normal that I’d fallen right into Warrick’s arms. He was more handsome than the devil, after all. And was an expert around a woman’s body. Maybe I simply needed to guard my heart while I let my body indulge in carnal pleasure.

“Em?” Warrick’s voice interrupted my musings.

“Huh?” I blinked, trying to refocus on the conversation.

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